A blog consisting of interviews, research and opinions on baseball's past, present, and future.

Top 100 Baseball Blog

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Was Joe DiMaggio Overrated?: The Baseball Historian's Notes for the Week of November 30, 2014

Best wishes to those who celebrated the Thanksgiving
holiday. Hopefully nobody was done in by that extra slice of pie or sneaking
another spoonful of stuffing before it hit the fridge. The moment Americans
woke up from their food-induced comas, the holiday shopping season commenced. Neatly
wrapped presents are not the only things being bought, as baseball teams are in
a mad dash to scoop up the remaining free agents before they are outfoxed or
outbid by another.

The Boston Red Sox made a major impact by locking
down perhaps the two best available hitters on the market in Hanley
Ramirez and Pablo
Sandoval. Signing just one of them would have been mildly surprising, but
inking both was a shock to the baseball world. Looking to keep pace in the
American League East, the Toronto Blue Jays countered by landing star third baseman
Josh
Donaldson in a trade
with the Oakland Athletics. If this past week is any indication, the remainder
of the offseason promises to be full of a lot more surprises!

Now, on to the notes for the week.

*Former pitcher Luis Tiant
recently turned 74. The flamboyant right-hander won 229 games during a 19-year
major league career spent with six teams—but his greatest success came with the
Red Sox. This picture
is a classic representation of “El Tiante,” relaxing in a whirlpool after a
game, and presumably after one of his victories—perhaps one of his 49 career
shutouts.

*Another former player who had a recent birthday is the
Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio,
who would have been 100 years old on November 25th. The Hall-of-Fame outfielder
passed away in 1999 and is widely considered to be one of the most respected,
if not best players of all time. In 13 years with the Yankees (he missed three
full years due to military service), he hit .325 with 361 home runs. However,
not all buy into the hype. Baseball historian John Thorn believes
“Joltin’ Joe” may be somewhat overrated with the narrative taking over the
actual results. He certainly isn’t denigrating him by any means, but rather
pointing out that the nostalgic light he has been cast in over time has perhaps
exaggerated the way he is remembered and placed among the greats of the game.

*Speaking of former Yankees greats, check out these two video
clips of Babe Ruth
that were recently uncovered. One is footage of him playing on an All Star team
in Japan in 1927, while the other is of one of his at-bats during a 1929 game
against the Washington Senators. It’s a fantastic find, and one can only hope
that more continue to surface to allow modern fans to have a better
understanding and appreciation of these players from bygone eras.

*The folks at Baseball
History Daily have dug up yet another gem.
Bobby
Eager played for nearly a decade as a backup catcher in minor leagues in
California in the early 1900s. His skill as a receiver was modest, as evidenced
by his .213 career batting average. However, he was popular with fans and later
found a niche as an occasional sports columnist with the San Jose News. Some examples of his work were dug up and can be
enjoyed again by new generations.

*Don Zimmer
spent over 60 years in professional baseball as a player, coach and manager.
Sadly, he passed away earlier this year but his legacy lives on as someone who
impacted many during his time in the game. Jean Mackin of WMUR
News reports how Zim was recently honored in Windham, New Hampshire for
his special connection with the town. He and his family were deeply involved
with the Windham Endowment for Community Advancement, a local nonprofit
organization. It’s nice to see that the baseball legend used his success as a
platform to spread goodwill and assistance to others- a legacy and impact that
will likely be felt even longer than what he did on the field.

*This incredible
piece by The Sporting News’ Tim
Hagerty tells the tragic story of B.F. Hicks, a player for a town ball team
just outside of Pittsburgh who made a fatal catch in the outfield during a 1906
game.

Hicks was a railroad worker who
also enjoyed playing baseball with his coworkers. During the fateful game
described in the article, he went back to catch deep drive off the bat of an
opposing player. The field they were playing on bordered a rail line, and as
the backpedaling fielder caught the ball, he stumbled on to the tracks and was instantly
killed by an oncoming train. Although he lost his life, amazingly he still had
the ball nestled in his glove when horrified onlookers rushed up to his
lifeless body. Although the story sounds like a tall tale, it appears to be
true. However, the only known report of the incident appeared in the 1907 Reach Official American League Base
Ball Guide.

*Hall-of-Fame debating season is
upon us once again, as the 2015 ballot was just announced.
17 newbies are making their first appearance, including legendary pitchers Pedro
Martinez and Randy
Johnson, who should both be shoo-ins when the votes are tallied late next
year.

Forbes’ Tom Van Riper has compiled a list
of who he believes are the 20 biggest Hall-of-Fame snubs. Every baseball fan
more or less has a list in their head of those they believe are deserving but
have not yet gotten their call to the Hall. Take a peek and see how much (or
little) you agree with him.

*Following up on the Hall-of-Fame
debate, CBSSports.com’s Matt Snyder compares
Martinez with Sandy Koufax,
one of the most dominant pitchers in history. What he finds may or may not
surprise you.

*Finally, some interesting footage of
former Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner
being honored by fans later in his life. The right-handed hitter was one of the
best players in the history of the game, but little visual evidence remains
from his career because he was retired before the end of World War I. It is
unknown when this celebration took place, but the best guess would be sometime
in the 1930s.